AFRICA: Libyan security forces rescued two out of three International Organization for Migration (IOM) officials who were kidnapped in the country’s southern region.

AMERICAS: Members of the Venezuelan government and opposition leaders failed to reach a deal to address the country’s political and economic crisis.

ASIA: Officials from Myanmar and Bangladesh meet to discuss how to implement another deal on the return of more than 650,000 Rohingya.

EUROPE: Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said she would be able to decide whether to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence by the end of this year.

MIDDLE EAST: The Israeli military said it had destroyed a Hamas cross-border attack tunnel that ran from Gaza into Israel and Egypt.

TECHNOLOGY: Iran’s semi-official ILNA news agency reported that the ban on the encrypted messaging app Telegram has been lifted, two weeks after anti-government protests in which more than 21 people were killed.

Angola: President Joao Lourenco removed José Filomeno, son of former president Dos Santos, from his post at the top of the nation’s $5 billion sovereign wealth fund. (AFP)

Libya: Security forces rescued two out of three International Organization for Migration officials who were kidnapped by militants in the country’s southern region. (Xinhua)

Nigeria: Two leading Chinese companies held a ceremony to start the construction of an underwater oil pipeline installation in Lagos. (Xinhua)

Tunisia: The government announced a wave of social reforms, following days of demonstrations by anti-austerity protesters. (BBC)

AMERICAS

Region: A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Peru, briefly causing a tsunami warning for Peru and Chile. (AP)

Chile: President Michelle Bachelet criticized the World Bank for a negative business review, saying it reflected a political bias against her left-leaning government. (NYT)

Colombia: Gunmen claiming to belong to the ELN rebel group kidnapped an oil engineer in the country’s east, police said. (AFP)

Venezuela: Members of the government and opposition leaders concluded a round of talks in the Dominican Republic, failing to reach a deal to address the country’s political and economic crisis. (Reuters)

ASIA

Region: Officials from Myanmar and Bangladesh meet to discuss how to implement another deal on the return of more than 650,000 Rohingya. (Reuters)

Region: An Iranian official said there was no chance any crew members had survived among the 32 aboard an oil tanker that sank off the coast of China after more than a week. (AFP)

Afghanistan: The Taliban has rejected reports that a delegation was taking part in a peace negotiation with the central government in Turkey. (Xinhua)

Cambodia: Foreign-based members of the dissolved opposition party have launched a movement to demand the release of their detained leader and to call for free and fair elections and possibly protests. (Reuters)

EUROPE

Region: Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage said he was concerned that a vote for Britain to leave the European Union could be overturned by a powerful group of the bloc’s supporters. (Reuters)

Britain: Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said she would be able to decide whether to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence by the end of this year. (Reuters)

Switzerland: Anti-globalisation demonstrators in Zurich protested against a planned visit by US President Donald Trump to the World Economic Forum. (Reuters)

MIDDLE EAST

Iraq: Incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced his candidacy for the May 12 parliamentary elections to choose a prime minister. (Reuters)

Israel: The military said it had destroyed a cross-border attack tunnel that ran from Gaza into Israel and Egypt, dug by Hamas. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Binladin Group said some shareholders might transfer part of their holdings to the state in a settlement with authorities, which detained several members of the founding family in an anti-graft drive. (Reuters)

Yemen: Forces loyal to the internationally-backed government killed about 35 Houthi militants in the ongoing fighting in al-Bayda province. (Xinhua)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Communication: Iran’s semi-official ILNA news agency reported that the ban on the encrypted messaging app Telegram has been lifted, two weeks after anti-government protests in which more than 21 people were killed. (AP)